Methods and systems for soliciting an answer to a question

ABSTRACT

A question-and-answer application with an “ask-to-answer” feature is described. The ask-to-answer feature enables any user to solicit an answer to a question from another user. Upon soliciting another user for an answer to a particular question, a message with a call to action is directed to the solicited user. The message may include a copy of the text of the question and may provide a mechanism (e.g., a selectable user interface element) enabling the solicited user to pass on answering the question. Subsequent to the solicitation, the question page for the question will include a notification with information about the solicitation, including in some instances information identifying the user who has been asked to answer the question and the number of times the user has been asked to provide an answer to the question.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/968,788, filed Aug.16, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No.12/983,056, filed on Dec. 31, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,516,379, issuedAug. 20, 2013 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to data processing techniques.More specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods and systemsfor enhancing the quality of user-generated content for presentation viaa question-and-answer service by enabling users of the service todirectly solicit an answer to a question from another user.

BACKGROUND

Many on-line or web-based applications and services rely partially, andin some cases almost entirely, on user-generated content—that is,content generated by the end-users of the particular application orservice. The success of such applications and services is heavilydependent upon the ability to attract and retain users who are willingto participate by generating content that is to be shared with otherusers. One particular type of application or service for which thisholds true is an on-line question-and-answer service. In general, aquestion-and-answer service is a service that allows its end-users topost questions, post answers to questions, or simply browse thequestions and answers that others have posted. From the perspective ofits users, the usefulness of a question-and-answer service orapplication depends significantly on the extent to which meaningfulanswers are provided to the questions being posted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, andnot limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simple relationship diagram illustrating how some of thevarious elements and participants of a question-and-answer applicationare related to one another in a particular embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a system-level block diagram illustrating some of the systemcomponents and functional modules used in implementing aquestion-and-answer application consistent with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are flow diagrams representing methods, consistent with anembodiment of the invention, for facilitating and enabling a user of aquestion-and-answer application to solicit another user for an answer toa question;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flow diagrams representing methods, consistent withembodiments of the invention, for presenting a user, who has beensolicited for an answer to a question, with a request or solicitationmessage that asks the user to answer a question;

FIGS. 7 through 12 illustrate various user interfaces, and portions ofuser interfaces, for use in methods and systems for facilitating thesolicitation of an answer to a question from a user of aquestion-and-answer service, consistent with embodiments of theinvention; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a machine in the form of a computer withinwhich a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be stored andexecuted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems for enabling a user of a question-and-answer serviceto directly solicit an answer to a question from another user aredescribed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the various aspects of different embodiments of thepresent invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in theart, that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails.

A question-and-answer application or service provides an on-line forumwhere users can post questions, post answers to questions, or simplysearch for and review questions and answers that others have posted. Toaid in the overall organization and presentation of information, aquestion can be associated with one or more topics representing, forexample, a subject matter to which the question relates. Take forexample the question, “What is the population of San Francisco?” Thisquestion may be assigned to the topic, “San Francisco.” As users postquestions for others to answer, users can designate each question asbeing related to one or more existing topics, or users can create anddesignate new topics. As such, a question-and-answer application is aninformation repository of user-generated content that is organized andpresented in a relatively simple and intuitive manner. An individual webpage showing all questions related to a particular topic may be referredto as a topic page, whereas a web page showing an individual question,and any associated answers to the question, is generally referred toherein as a question page.

To encourage users to share and exchange information, and to increaseoverall participation in a question-and-answer application, aquestion-and-answer application may enable users to share informationwith one another. For example, the user interface of aquestion-and-answer application may include a user interface element(e.g., a button or link) that, when selected, prompts the viewing userto provide contact information (e.g., a name, an email address, atelephone number) of a user with whom the information is to be shared.Any number of communication mechanisms might be used to shareinformation in this manner, to include, but certainly not be limited to:email, instant messaging, SMS or text messaging, some proprietarymessaging system, as well as any other similar messaging systems. Insome instances, the message communicated to the user will contain a copyof the actual content. In other instances, the message may simplyinclude a selectable link (e.g., a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) orUniform Resource Locator (URL)) to the relevant content. In this manner,a first user may share with a second user an unanswered question, aquestion for which there are one or more existing answers, a particularanswer to a question, or some other related item of information.

In one particular scenario, a first user may share a question with asecond user whom the first user believes to be particularly well-suitedto provide an answer. Stated differently, a user may share a questionwith another user with the expectation that the receiving user providean answer to the question. However, while sharing information in thismanner is certainly useful, it may or may not actually encourage orpersuade a user to take a particular action, such as to provide ananswer to a question. For instance, if a user receives a private anddirect message from another user, such that the message includes aquestion, or a link to a question, the recipient may choose to simplyignore the message and not provide an answer to the question.

Various aspects of the inventive methods and systems described hereinaim to increase the likelihood that a user, when requested to answer aparticular question, will be encouraged to actually provide an answer.For example, consistent with some embodiments of the invention, when auser solicits an answer to a question from another user, the messagecommunicated to the other user includes a specific call to action,requesting that the recipient of the message provide an answer to thequestion. In some instances, the message may be formatted to include acopy of the actual text of the question, a link to the question page forthe question, as well as a user interface element, such as a text inputbox, in which the recipient can enter or input his or her answer to thequestion. In addition, consistent with some embodiments, when a firstuser solicits an answer to a question from a second user, thesolicitation is made public. For example, subsequent to thesolicitation, the question page for the question will include anotification displayed next to or near the question indicating that aparticular user has been solicited for an answer to the question. Thenotification may also include, for example, a name and picture of theuser who has been solicited to answer the question. Selecting the nameand/or picture of the user who has been asked to answer the question maycause some portion of the user's profile or biographical information tobe displayed. If several users have solicited a particular user for ananswer to the same question, the notification may indicate the number oftimes that the particular user has been solicited to answer thequestion. In some embodiments, the notification may also identify theindividual user or users who have solicited the recipient for an answer.This information may be displayed in connection with the notification,or as a result of detecting a certain event, such as a mouse-over event.Other aspects of the inventive subject matter are set forth below inconnection with the description of the various figures.

FIG. 1 is a simple relationship diagram illustrating how some of thevarious elements and participants of a question-and-answer applicationare related to one another in a particular embodiment of the invention.For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a user 10 of thequestion-and-answer application may follow another user 12, a topic 14,or a question 16. As used herein, the concept of “following” is somewhatanalogous to the concept of subscribing in a subscription-based model.When a user follows another user, there is no implied personalrelationship between the two end-users. For instance, a first user mayfollow a second user simply because the first user believes the seconduser is particularly insightful with respect to a particular topic ofinterest. By “following” another user, a user can be automaticallyinformed of activities of the other user. If, for example, user A isfollowing user B, when user B posts a question or an answer to aquestion, user A will be notified of user B's posting activity.Similarly, if a user elects to follow a particular topic, as newquestions are assigned to the particular topic, the user can beautomatically notified of these new questions. In yet another example,if a user follows a particular question, as new answers are posted tothe particular question, the user will be notified of the new answers.

The concept of “following” may be thought of as a unilateralrelationship, because it can be achieved at the desire of only one user.This is in contrast to the concept of two users being “connected” (e.g.,in a social networking context), which typically implies a personalrelationship between the users. Two users may be “connected” when eachuser is following the other—a bilaterally defined relationship. In someembodiments of the invention, the interactions that the users areallowed to have with one another may be controlled to some extent by thetype of relationship that exists between the users, as that relationshipis defined by the question-and-answer service, or some externally-hostedsocial network service. For instance, with some embodiments, a firstuser may only solicit an answer to a question from another user if thefirst user is following the other user, or if the first user is beingfollowed by the second user. Similarly, with some embodiments, the firstuser may only be allowed to solicit an answer to a question from anotheruser if the users are connected—that is, each user is following theother. In yet other embodiments, users may be able to solicit an answerfrom one another regardless of any pre-existing system-definedrelationship between the users.

In some embodiments of the invention, notifications may be communicatedto a user by simply including the relevant content in a landing page ordata feed displayed to the user. For example, when a user first provideshis or her authentication information (e.g., username/password), theuser may be presented with a personalized home page or landing page withcontent that is customized for the user. This content may be selected toinclude information regarding the users, topics and questions that theparticular user is following. Additionally, in some embodiments,notifications may be communicated in near real-time to a user via anynumber of messaging mechanisms, to include real-time dynamic data feedupdates (e.g., on a web page), email, SMS or text messages, instantmessages, and others. In some embodiments, a user may elect to benotified of certain activities or events on a per-question, per-topic orper-user basis. For instance, a user may elect to receive a notificationwhen a new answer is posted to a particular question that the user isfollowing.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a topic 14 may have a wiki summary 18 thatprovides a summary or some additional description of what subject matteris encompassed by the particular topic. Similarly, a question 16 mayhave a wiki summary 18 that provides some description or additionalcontext for the question. In some embodiments, the wiki summary 18 fortopics and questions may be user-editable by all users, while in otherembodiments, only certain users will have the authority to edit a wikisummary. For instance, in some embodiments, only the person who posted aparticular question may be authorized to edit the wiki summary for thatparticular question. In some embodiments, users may be assigned rolesthat determine various content or access privileges the users have withrespect to different topics or questions. For instance, certain usersmay be assigned an “editor” role for a particular topic, therebyproviding those users with editing privileges that are different fromthose of a regular user.

In addition to a wiki summary 18, a question 16 is associated with oneor more answers 20. For instance, after a user posts a question, otherusers of the application are able to provide answers to the question. Insome embodiments of the invention, any user is allowed to post an answerto a particular question. As such, a question may be associated with orhave multiple answers. In some embodiments, both questions 16 andanswers 20 may have comments. For instance, a user may provide a textualcomment that is associated with a question 16 or an answer 20. A commentassociated with an answer, for example, could provide some clarificationabout a particular answer, or some aspect of the answer. Other users canthen view the comments when viewing the question and/or answers.

In some embodiments of the invention, an answer 20 has or is associatedwith votes 24. For example, users can vote up or vote down a particularanswer based on whether the user finds the answer helpful in view of theparticular question. For instance, if a user believes that a particularanswer to a question is a good answer, the user can select a button orother graphical user interface element to vote for the answer.Similarly, if a user believes that a particular answer is not helpful inlight of the question, the user can vote down the answer, for example,by simply selecting a button or other graphical user interface elementto indicate that the answer is not helpful. As described in greaterdetail below, with some embodiments, when a first user solicits ananswer to a question from a second user, and the second user provides ananswer, the first user's solicitation may be automatically converted toa vote for the answer provided by the second user. In some embodiments,the number of votes for and against an answer are used as inputs to analgorithm that determines how answers are to be displayed when presentedto a user. For example, the votes for and against an answer may simplybe tallied, such that a vote for the answer offsets a vote against theanswer, and the answers with the highest vote tallies are displayed inthe most prominent positions—typically, at the top of a list of relevantanswers. With some embodiments, a vote by a particular user may bedeemed as more important, for example, as based on the particular user'sprofile information, and as such, the particular user's vote may begiven more weight than a vote by other users.

By providing a forum that includes questions, answers, comments andvotes, the question-and-answer application encourages meaningfuldiscussion about a whole host of subject matters, in part, by enablingusers to interact with the application in a variety of ways. Forinstance, some users may desire an entirely passive experience, and cantherefore simply browse for, and read, questions and answers on topicsof interest. Some users may desire an experience including a moderatelevel of participation, and as such, these users can vote up or downvarious answers on topics of interest, and possibly provide commentary.Others may desire to participate more actively, and will elect to postquestions and answers to questions—particularly when specifically calledupon to do so by another user.

FIG. 2 is a system-level block diagram illustrating some of the systemcomponents and functional modules used in implementing aquestion-and-answer application or service consistent with an embodimentof the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, aquestion-and-answer application is implemented as a web-basedapplication having application logic 30 residing at one or moreprocessor-based computer servers 32. At least some of the servers 32include a web server component 34 for serving data (e.g., documents orweb pages) to a conventional web browser application 36 residing andexecuting at a client computer 38. In addition, or as an alternative,the web server 34 may utilize one or more web-based protocols to servecontent to non-web browser clients, such as a web-based mobileapplication residing and executing on a mobile device, a set top box, orsome other computing device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a client computer 38 executes a web browserapplication 36 to access the web-based question-and-answer application.In various alternative embodiments, the client computer 38 may be amobile computing device, to include: a laptop, mobile phone or tabletcomputer. As such, in some embodiments, the application may have a userinterface that is customized for display in a browser, or mobileapplication, of a mobile device. Furthermore, with some embodiments, theclient-based application may not be browser-based, but instead may becustomized to suit the particular operating system of the device onwhich it is executing. For instance, a customized application mayutilize one or more application programming interfaces that are uniqueto the particular device and operating system on which the customizedapplication resides and executes.

The question-and-answer application logic 30 is shown in FIG. 2 toinclude content posting logic 44, ask-to-answer logic 46, and messagingand notification logic 48. In general, the content posting logic 44enables users to post questions, answers and comments, and other contentitems. The ask-to-answer logic 46 facilitates a feature referred toherein as an ask-to-answer feature. Accordingly, the ask-to-answer logic46 enables various functionality associated with enabling a first userto solicit another user for an answer to a question that has alreadybeen posted. The messaging and notification logic 48 operates inconjunction with the content posting logic 44 and the ask-to-answerlogic 46 to facilitate the generation and communication of messages andnotifications, for example, such as those that may pertain to thesolicitation of an answer to a question. Of course, the applicationlogic 30 may include a number of other logical components to perform avariety of other tasks and functions beyond the immediate scope of thepresent inventive subject matter. As such, to avoid obscuring theinventive subject matter in unnecessary detail, these various functionalcomponents have not been included in FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, some of the various functional components of thequestion-and-answer application, including some of the various softwaremodules, may be distributed across several server computers, providingapplication reliability and scalability. For instance, as illustrated inFIG. 2, the database management server 40 is shown to reside on aseparate server computer. However, in other embodiments the databasemanagement server 40 might reside and execute at the same server as theapplication logic 30 and web server 34. In any case, the databasemanagement server 40 facilitates the writing and reading of data storedin tables of a database 42. In some alternative embodiments, other datastructures may be utilized in addition to, or in place of, databasetables.

Consistent with some embodiments, the question-and-answer service is astand-alone service accessible via its own unique address (e.g., URL orURI). With some embodiments, the stand-alone service may leverage itsown social layer, or a social layer provided by an externally-hostedsocial network service. Accordingly, various relationships betweenusers, as determined or defined by the question-and-answer service or anexternally-hosted social network service, may be utilized to customizethe functionality and features of the question-and-answer service. Forexample, certain interactions between users may be controlled based onthe relationships that exist between the users, as those relationshipsare defined by an externally-hosted social network service.Alternatively, with some embodiments, the question-and-answer servicemay be one of several applications or services that are associated with,and provided by, a social network service. For instance, thequestion-and-answer service may be accessible via the same address ordomain by which users access a social network service, such that thequestion-and-answer service is hosted by the same entity providing thesocial network service.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram representing a method for facilitating andenabling a user of a question-and-answer application to solicit ananswer to a question from another user, consistent with some embodimentsof the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the method begins at methodoperation 50 when a question-and-answer service presents to a user aquestion page for a question. For purposes of this example, the user towhom the question page is presented is shown in FIG. 3 as “USER A”. Thequestion page displays a question that a user has posted, and inaddition, the question page displays a user interface element, such as alink, a button, a text input box, a selector, or some other graphicalelement, with which a user can interact (e.g., by selecting, or enteringinput). In general, this user interface element enables the user (e.g.,USER A) to solicit an answer to the question from another user. Anexample of a question page consistent with an embodiment of theinvention is illustrated in FIG. 7, which shows a user interface elementin the form of a textual link, with the label “ASK TO ANSWER” 126.

Referring again to FIG. 3, at method operation 52, thequestion-and-answer service detects an event or interaction with theuser interface element (e.g., element 126 in FIG. 7), by a user (e.g.,USER A). For example, in some embodiments, when a user selects thebutton or link on the question page that enables the user to solicit ananswer to a question from another user, the selection is detected by thequestion-and-answer service when a request is communicated from theclient application (e.g., a web browser application) to the server onwhich the question-and-answer service resides, enabling the server torespond by manipulating the user interface displayed at the clientapplication. When the selection of the user interface element isdetected, at method operation 54 the question-and-answer service promptsthe user to provide some user-input identifying another user to whom thequestion is to be directed. For example, in some embodiments, a text boxor some other user interface mechanism for receiving input is displayed.This is illustrated in, and described in connection with, FIGS. 8 and 9,which show an example of a user interface that enables the receiving ofuser-input (e.g., user interface elements 130 and 132), consistent withan embodiment of the invention.

After receiving the user-input or user-selection identifying the user towhom the question is to be directed (e.g., USER B in FIG. 3), at methodoperation 56 a determination is made as to whether the user to whom thequestion is to be directed has previously passed on providing an answerto the question. For instance, if the user to whom the question is beingdirected has previously been asked to answer the question, and haspreviously indicated a desire to pass on answering the question, then atmethod operation 58, the user who is soliciting the answer (e.g., USERA) receives a message indicating that the user to whom the question hasbeen directed has indicated a desire to pass on answering the question.

However, if the user to whom the question is being directed has notpreviously indicated a desire to pass on answering the question, atmethod operation 60 the user to whom the question is being directed(e.g., USER B) is sent a message that specifically indicates that therequesting user (e.g., USER A) would like the user (e.g., USER B) toprovide an answer to the particular question. The content of the messageand the means by which it is communicated may vary depending upon theparticular implementation. For instance, with some embodiments, themessage may be communicated via a proprietary notification mechanism,such that a notification message is shown on a web page displayed to theuser (e.g., USER B). Two examples of such messages are shown, andfurther described in connection with, FIGS. 11-A and 11-B. In someembodiments, a user may be allowed to specify that the request messagesoliciting the answer is to be communicated anonymously, such that theidentity of the person who is requesting the answer to the questionremains private.

With some embodiments, a user can direct a question to any user of thequestion-and-answer service, and as such, a list of users will beautomatically populated with names selected from the entire community ofusers, so long as those names match the user-input. In some alternativeembodiments, a user may be limited in directing a question only to somesubset of the entire user community, such as those users with whom theuser has established a unilateral relationship (e.g., by “following”another user), or a bilateral relationship (e.g., where each userfollows the other). In such a scenario, the list of names dynamicallyupdated for selection would include only those names satisfying thesystem-defined criteria. In some embodiments, a user can enter contactinformation for a person who is not currently a user of thequestion-and-answer service. For example, by entering an e-mail address,telephone number, or some other contact information, an appropriatemessage may be communicated to the person with a request to provide ananswer to a question. The recipient of a solicitation message may beprompted to provide his or her name to be displayed with his or heranswer, or alternatively, the recipient may be prompted to register as auser of the question-and-answer service as part of the process ofproviding the answer.

At method operation 62, subsequent to communicating a request to answera question to a user (e.g., USER B), the total number of requests toanswer the question that have been received by the user is computed. Forinstance, the sum of all ask-to-answer requests that have been directedto a particular user for a particular question is computed so that itcan be displayed in a notification on the question page for thequestion. An example of such a notification is shown in FIG. 10, withreference number 134.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram representing a method, consistent with someembodiments of the invention, for facilitating and enabling a user of aquestion-and-answer application to solicit an answer to a question fromanother user, when the other user has already been solicited for ananswer to the question. In some instances, a particular user may havebeen asked by one or more other users to answer a particular question.Accordingly, the question page for the question will include one or morenotifications that identify any users who have been solicited for ananswer to the question, as well as the number of times each user hasbeen solicited for an answer. Consistent with some embodiments, a usermay interact with this notification (e.g., by selecting thenotification, or some portion of the notification) to very quicklysolicit an answer from a user who has already been solicited for ananswer. An example of such a notification is illustrated in FIG. 10,with reference number 134.

The method begins at method operation 70 when a user (in this example,USER C) requests a question page for a question for which at least oneuser has already been solicited for an answer from another user (e.g.,USER B). For instance, continuing with the example shown in FIG. 3, whenmethod operation 70 occurs, one can presume that USER A has alreadysolicited USER B for an answer to the question on the question pagerequested by USER C. At method operation 72, the requested question pageis presented to the requesting user (e.g., USER C). Because USER A hasalready solicited USER B for an answer to the question displayed on thequestion page, a notification will be included on the question pageshowing, for example, a picture and name of the user who has beensolicited for an answer, as well as a number indicating the number oftimes that the particular user has been solicited for an answer. Inaddition, a user interface element may be displayed in connection withthe notification, such that selection of the user interface element byUSER C will automatically generate an additional request orsolicitation, on behalf of USER C, directed to USER B and requestingthat USER B provide an answer to the question. In the examplenotification 134 illustrated in FIG. 10, this additional user interfaceelement is a check mark. Accordingly, at method operation 74, thequestion-and-answer service detects that a user (e.g., USER C) hasselected the user interface element displayed in connection with thenotification. In response, at method operation 76, thequestion-and-answer service computes or otherwise determines a tally ofthe number of users who have requested that the particular userassociated with the displayed notification has been solicited for ananswer to the question. Finally, at method operation 78, thenotification displayed on the question page is updated to reflect thetotal number of times that the particular user associated with thenotification has been solicited for an answer to the question.

Consistent with some embodiments, each individual solicitation for ananswer to a question is converted to a vote for the answer that isprovided by the person who has been solicited for the answer. Forinstance, consider again the example presented in FIGS. 3 and 4, inwhich each of USER A and USER C has solicited USER B for an answer to aquestion. When USER B provides an answer to the question, USER A'ssolicitation is automatically converted to a vote for the answer.Similarly, USER C's solicitation is also converted to a vote for theanswer. In some embodiments, the number of votes that an answer receivesmay affect the order in which the answer is displayed relative to otheranswers. For instance, the answer with the most votes may be displayedin the most prominent position (e.g., at or near the top) of the list ofanswers. In addition, with some embodiments, when an answer is presentedon a question page, the names of the users who solicited the provider ofthe answer to provide the answer may be presented in connection with theanswer. Accordingly, if a particular answer gains notoriety for somereason, each person who solicited the answer may be recognized by theuser community as well.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram representing a method for processing a user'ssolicitation for an answer to a question, and the reply provided by theuser who has been solicited, consistent with an embodiment of theinvention. At method operation 80, the question-and-answer servicepresents a message to a particular user who has been solicited toprovide an answer to a question, such that the message includes a copyof the text of the question, and identifies the user or users who arerequesting that the user provide an answer. The format and communicationmechanism of the message may vary depending upon the particularimplementation. Two example solicitation messages are shown in FIGS.11-A and 11-B. For example, with some embodiments, the message to theuser (e.g., USER B) indicating that the user has been asked to providean answer may first appear as a notification on a web page displayed tothe user. This notification, for example, may notify the user that he orshe has received an email, or other message, from another userrequesting an answer to the question. By selecting a user interfaceelement (e.g., button or link) corresponding with the notification, theuser will be directed to an email inbox and presented with a userinterface including a text input box where the user can enter an answer.Alternatively, the user may select a link to the question page, where atext input box will be presented to the user, enabling the user to enteran answer to the question. Of course, alternative messaging mechanismsand message formats may be used to communicate the message to the user.

Next, at method operation 82, the question- and answer service receivestext representing an answer to the question from the solicited user(e.g., USER B). The text may be received, for example, through thesubmission of a web-based form displayed to the user via an e-mail orweb page. Finally, in some embodiments, at method operation 84, eachsolicitation for an answer to the question received by the user (e.g.,USER B) is converted to a vote for the answer provided by the user. Thisfinal method operation 84 is an optional operation and may not beperformed in all embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram representing a method, consistent with someembodiments of the invention for processing a user's solicitation for ananswer, when the user decides not to answer the question. The methodbegins at method operation 86 when the question-and-answer servicepresents a message to a user who has been solicited to provide an answerto a question. The message includes a copy of the text of the question,or a link to the question page for the question. The user is thenprompted to either provide an answer by entering text in a text inputbox, or indicate a desire to pass on answering the question, forexample, by selecting a user interface element, such as a button orlink. Accordingly, at method operation 88, the question-and-answerservice detects selection of a user interface element that indicates theuser has opted to pass on answering the question. With some embodiments,the user is offered the opportunity to provide an explanation as to whythe user is passing on answering the question, for example, by providingexplanatory text at a text input box, such as that illustrated in FIG.12. Finally, at method operation 90, the question-and-answer servicecommunicates a message to each user who had requested that the userprovide an answer to the question. In some instances, when a user asksanother user to answer a question after the solicited user has alreadypassed on answering the question, the explanation as to why thesolicited user has passed on answering the question will automaticallybe presented to the requesting user.

FIG. 7 is a user interface diagram illustrating an example of a userinterface for use with a question-and-answer application consistent withan embodiment of the invention. The example user interface shown in FIG.7 is provided to convey an understanding of the inventive conceptsdescribed herein, and a particular context in which the inventivesubject matter might be implemented. It will be readily appreciated byskilled artisans that the user interfaces illustrated herein areexamples and that user interfaces differing from those illustratedherein may be applicable to the inventive concepts described herein.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, a header or banner section 100 is shown toinclude a text input box 102 where a user can enter a question, oralternatively, enter one or more keywords to be used in a search for aquestion, topic, user, or other item of content. Under the headersection 100 is a portion of the user interface showing a question 104,and several topics 106 to which the question is currently assigned. Forinstance, in this example, the question is: “What are the most popularrides at Disneyland?” The topics 106 to which the question has beenassigned include: “Amusement Parks” and “Disneyland.” Next to the topicsis an “ADD TOPIC” link or button 108 enabling a user to add a new topicto be associated with the question. In addition, a separate button orlink 110, shown in FIG. 7 with text “ADD QUESTION DETAILS” provides theuser with the ability to enter additional details about the question.Separate buttons or links exist for other user functionality, such asadding comments about the question, adding a follow-up question andflagging the question, for example, as being inappropriate.

In this example user interface, beneath the question 104 are two answers112 and 114 provided by two different users. Associated with each answeris a name of the user who posted the answer, along with an indication ofthe number of people following that user. For example, the first answer112 was posted by the user, John Smith, followed by one-hundred-twelve(112) users, while the second answer 114 was posted by Kate Johansenwith no followers. Beneath each respective answer are buttons or linksthat enable a user to add a comment about an answer, or indicate that ananswer was helpful or not helpful. In addition, to the left of eachanswer are two arrows for use in voting. For example, the arrow buttons(up and down) for the answer posted by John Smith are shown withreference number 116. The votes for and against an answer may be used inan algorithm that determines the order in which answers to a particularquestion are presented.

At the bottom of the example user interface in FIG. 7, there is a textinput box 118 providing a user with the ability to submit a new answerto the question 104. For example, a user can type an answer in the textinput box 118 and then hit the “SUBMIT ANSWER” button 120 to post theanswer to the question-and-answer service. To make an answer anonymous,such that the posting user's name will not be displayed next to theanswer, an anonymous button or link (e.g., labeled as “make anonymous”in FIG. 7) is provided.

In the right side of the user interface, there is a “FOLLOW QUESTION”button 122 that enables a user to subscribe to, or follow, the question.By following the question, the user will be notified when others postnew answers to the question. Beneath the “FOLLOW QUESTION” button 122are several questions determined to be related to the question 104 onthe current question page. Selecting one of these questions will leadthe user to the question page for the selected question.

In addition, to the right side of the example user interface shown inFIG. 7 are two user interface elements (e.g., buttons or links) labeled,“SHARE QUESTION” 124 and “ASK TO ANSWER” 126. The “SHARE QUESTION”button 124 enables a user to post the question, or otherwise direct thequestion, to other users, for example, via one or more social networkingservices, a proprietary email system facilitated via thequestion-and-answer service, or an externally hosted email system. Othersharing mechanisms may be possible as well. In general, sharing aquestion differs from what is referred to herein as the “ask-to-answer”feature in that there is no explicit call to action when simply sharinga question.

Next to the “SHARE QUESTION” button 124 is an “ASK TO ANSWER” button126. The “ASK TO ANSWER” button 126 enables a user to solicit anotheruser for an answer to the question. For instance, as described inconnection with the method illustrated in FIG. 3, when thequestion-and-answer service detects that a user has selected the “ASK TOANSWER” button 126, a user interface element, such as a text input box,is displayed, allowing the user to enter the name of a user to whom thequestion is to be directed. An example of this (e.g., the text inputbox) is illustrated in FIG. 8 with reference number 130.

Referring now to FIG. 9, as a user enters a name in the text input box130, a list of users 132 is automatically populated in real-time,responsive to the input entered by the user, with names matching theinput provided by the user, allowing the user to select from the list aname of a user to whom the question is to be directed. In someembodiments, the list 132 may be populated with names selected from theentire user community. However, in alternative embodiments, the namesmay be selected to include only those persons with whom the user hassome pre-defined relationship, for example, via a social networkingservice and/or the question-and-answer service. The matching algorithmused to match the user-input with user's names may analyze and matchfirst names, last names, or other portions of a user's name. Forinstance, if a user enters the text, “drew”, the name “Andrew” may bedisplayed as a potential match.

In some embodiments, the question-and-answer service will automaticallyselect the list of user's names to be included in the drop-down list 132based on the user-provided input, and will then rank or order the namesbased on a variety of factors, such that the names of those users whoare most likely to provide a meaningful answer to the question are shownfirst (e.g., at the top) in the list. For example, the names in the list132 may be ranked, and then ordered, based on whether a user has arelationship with the requesting or soliciting user, such that thoseusers with whom the requesting user has a relationship are shown in amore prominent position in the list. In some embodiments, those userswho have previously answered questions on a topic to which the questionbeing shared is assigned will be shown more prominently in the list. Insome embodiments, users who have been recognized as experts on a topic,either through user endorsements or by some other means of recognition,are given greater weight in the ranking algorithm, and are thereforeshown more prominently in the list. In some embodiments, users who arecurrently online—for instance, participating in an active user sessionwith the question-and-answer service—are given greater weight in theranking algorithm and are therefore shown more prominently in the list.These, and a variety of other factors, may be utilized when presenting alist of names for selection by the soliciting user.

Once a user identifies the name of a user to whom a question is to bedirected, the user simply selects the name from the list and thequestion-and-answer service automatically communicates a message to theselected user, such that the message requests that the selected userprovide an answer to the question. In addition, the question-and-answerservice stores information associated with the solicitation so that suchinformation can be displayed on the question page for the question inresponse to subsequent requests for the question page. This informationmay include, for example, the name of the user that has requested ananswer to the question, the name of the user who has been requested toanswer the question, the number of users who have requested that aparticular user answer the question, and so forth.

In some embodiments, the question-and-service may analyze a variety offactors to recommend or suggest to a particular user the names of otherusers who may be well-suited to answer a particular question, or highlylikely to provide an answer, if asked to provide an answer. Forinstance, such factors may include any one or more of the following, invarious combinations: the relationship that exists between the users,the number of questions on a particular topic that a user has previouslyanswered, the net number of positive votes that user's answers havereceived for a certain topic, a high correlation between the topicsassigned to a question and the topics being followed by a user, and thedesignation or recognition of a user as a knowledge expert on a giventopic. With some embodiments, the suggested users from whom a particularuser might solicit an answer are displayed by default on the questionpage. Alternatively, the question page may include a user interfaceelement (e.g., button or link), which, when selected, generates anadditional user interface that presents the suggested users from whomthe particular user might solicit an answer to a question. With someembodiments, when displaying the list of suggested users who might besolicited for an answer to a question, a topic-specific biographicalstatement pertaining to each suggested user may be presented along withthe suggested user's name, to provide the viewing user with someadditional information for use in assessing whether or not to direct aquestion to the user.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface, consistent with someembodiments of the invention, for a question page of aquestion-and-answer service, where the question page includes anotification indicating that a user has been solicited for an answer tothe question on the question page. For example, in the example questionpage of FIG. 10, there are two user interface elements, with referencenumbers 134 and 136, which represent notifications that indicate a userhas been asked, via the ask-to-answer feature, to provide an answer tothe question on the question page. In some embodiments, eachnotification may be customized to show a picture of the person that hasbeen asked to answer the question. In addition, the notification maydisplay a number (e.g., number “3” in notification 134) that representsthe number of people who have asked that particular user to answer thequestion. With some embodiments, each notification may also include orbe associated with another user interface element, such as the checkmark in the notification with reference number 134, which enables a userto very quickly request that the user provide an answer to a question.For instance, in the example of FIG. 10, by selecting the check markshown with the notification 134, an additional request will be directedto the person represented by the notification 134 who has already beenasked to answer the question by three other users. With someembodiments, if the user to whom the question page has been presentedhas been asked to answer the question, the notification may include orbe associated with another user interface element, such as the “X” inthe notification with reference 136, which enables the viewing user topass on answering the question. For instance, if a user selects the “X”in the notification with reference 136, the user will be presented witha text input box and prompted to, optionally, provide a reason why theuser is choosing not to answer the question. For instance, if a userselects the “X” in the notification with reference 136, the user may bepresented with a user interface similar to that shown in FIG. 12. Whenthe solicited user provides an explanation in the text input box 138 (ofFIG. 12), and then selects the “PASS” button with reference number 140,a message including the user-provided explanation will be communicatedto all requesting users who had requested that the user provide ananswer to the question.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 10, consistent with some embodiments,one or more additional notifications may be displayed in connection withthe notifications with reference numbers 134 and 136 to identify theusers who have requested that the solicited user provide an answer tothe question. In some instances, this information may be visible when auser manipulates the cursor or tracking device (e.g., mouse pointer) tohover over one of the notifications 134 or 136 (generally referred to asa mouse-over event.) For instance, when a mouse-over event is detected,additional information about the solicitations may be displayed, toinclude the names and or pictures of the users who have requested thesolicited user to provide an answer.

FIGS. 11-A and 11-B represent portions of a user interface included in amessage to a user who has been solicited by another user for an answerto a question. For example, the example shown in FIG. 11-A may bedisplayed as a notification on a web page. By selecting the question,the user is redirected to the question page for the question where theuser can then provide an answer to the question. In some instances, suchas that illustrated in FIG. 11-B, the message communicated to thesolicited user will include a text input box allowing the user toprovide an answer to the question without requiring the user to navigateto the actual question page for the question. Such a message may becommunicated to a user via email, enabling the recipient to quicklyprovide an answer without navigating directly to the question-and-answerservice.

Skilled artisans will recognize that the methods and user interfacespresented herein are presented as specific examples of how the inventiveconcepts may be implemented. However, methods and user interfaces thatdiffer from the specific examples presented herein may be consistentwith the general scope and spirit of the inventive concepts.Particularly, the order in which certain method operations occur mayvary from the examples presented herein without departing from the scopeand spirit of the inventive concepts. Similarly, a wide variety of userinterface elements different from those presented herein may be used toimplement the inventive concepts described herein.

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesor logical components referred to herein may, in some exampleembodiments, comprise processor-implemented modules or logic.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., Application Program Interfaces (APIs).)

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a machine in the form of a computer withinwhich a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed. Inalternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device ormay be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in server-client network environments, or as a peermachine in peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environments. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions tobe taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include anycollection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (ormultiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 1500 includes a processor 1502 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 1501 and a static memory 1506, which communicatewith each other via a bus 1508. The computer system 1500 may furtherinclude a display unit 1510, an alphanumeric input device 1517 (e.g., akeyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1511 (e.g., amouse). In one embodiment, the display, input device and cursor controldevice are a touch screen display. The computer system 1500 mayadditionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit 1516), a signalgeneration device 1518 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device1520, and one or more sensors 1521, such as a global positioning systemsensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor.

The drive unit 1516 includes a machine-readable medium 1522 on which isstored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g.,software 1523) embodying or utilized by any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The software 1523 may alsoreside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1501and/or within the processor 1502 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 1500, the main memory 1501 and the processor 1502 alsoconstituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 1522 is illustrated in an exampleembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” mayinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that storethe one or more instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shallalso be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresent invention, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carryingdata structures utilized by or associated with such instructions. Theterm “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include,but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magneticmedia. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatilememory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g.,EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internalhard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM andDVD-ROM disks.

The software 1523 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 1526 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 1520 utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networksinclude a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), theInternet, mobile telephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS)networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Wi-Fi® and WiMax® networks).The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangiblemedium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions forexecution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communicationssignals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of suchsoftware.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specificexample embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a parthereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specificembodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Theembodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein.Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:receiving, by a computer server hosting a question-and-answer service, aquestion associated with a requesting user, wherein the question isreceived using a graphical interface of the question-and-answer service;automatically generating a list of user identifiers from a set of useridentifiers, wherein a user identifier is included in the list of useridentifiers based on a predefined relationship with the requesting user,and wherein the user identifiers on the list of user identifiersrepresent a corresponding plurality of users; generating ranks for theuser identifiers on the list of user identifiers based on a rankingalgorithm, wherein a rank indicates a likelihood that a user identifiedby a user identifier will provide an answer to the question; displayingthe list of user identifiers in the graphical interface in an order thatis based on the ranks of the user identifiers on the list of useridentifiers; receiving input indicating a selection of a first useridentifier from the list of user identifiers, the first user identifieridentifying a first user; and displaying an answer from the first useralong with a number of votes, wherein the number of votes is equal to aquantity of users that requested the first user to answer the question.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, a rank associated withthe first user identifier is increased when a database of thequestion-and-answer service indicates a relationship between aparticular user identifier of the requesting user and the first useridentifier.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein arank associated with the first user identifier is further based onhistorical data stored in a database of the question-and-answer servicewherein the historical data includes information related to answers toquestions.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein thehistorical data further includes information about the first useridentifier that includes a status of the first user identifier withinthe question-and-answer service.
 5. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 3, wherein the historical data further includes information aboutthe first user identifier that includes topics followed by the firstuser identifier.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, whereina rank associated with the first user identifier is increased when thefirst user identifier is currently online.
 7. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein displaying the list of user identifiersincludes displaying a count for each corresponding user identifier inthe list of user identifiers, and wherein the count for eachcorresponding user identifier indicates a number of times a userrepresented by the corresponding user identifier has been solicited toanswer the question.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: excluding a particular user identifier from the listof user identifiers when a database of the question-and-answer serviceflags the particular user identifier as having passed on answering thequestion.
 9. A computer server hosting a question-and-answer service,comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to performoperations including: receiving a question associated with a requestinguser, wherein the question is received using a graphical interface ofthe question-and-answer service; automatically generating a list of useridentifiers from a set of user identifiers, wherein a user identifier isincluded in the list of user identifiers based on a predefinedrelationship with the requesting user, and wherein the user identifierson the list of user identifiers represent a corresponding plurality ofusers; generating ranks for the user identifiers on the list of useridentifiers based on a ranking algorithm, wherein a rank indicates alikelihood that a user identified by a user identifier will provide ananswer to the question; displaying the list of user identifiers in thegraphical interface in an order that is based on the ranks of the useridentifiers on the list of user identifiers, wherein user identifiers ofusers that are more likely to provide an answer to the question aredisplayed first; receiving input indicating selection of a first useridentifier from the list of user identifiers, the first user identifieridentifying a first user; and displaying an answer from the first useralong with a number of votes, wherein the number of votes is equal to aquantity of users that requested the first user to answer the question.10. The computer server of claim 9, wherein a rank associated with thefirst user identifier is increased when a database of thequestion-and-answer service indicates a relationship between aparticular user identifier of the requesting user and the first useridentifier.
 11. The computer server of claim 9, wherein a rankassociated with the first user identifier is based on historical datastored in a database of the question-and-answer service, wherein thehistorical data includes information related to answers to questions.12. The computer server of claim 11, wherein the historical data furtherincludes information about the first user identifier that includes astatus of the first user identifier within the question-and-answerservice.
 13. The computer server of claim 11, wherein the historicaldata further includes information about the first user identifier thatincludes topics followed by the first user identifier.
 14. The computerserver of claim 9, wherein a rank associated with the first useridentifier is increased when the first user identifier is currentlyonline.
 15. The computer server of claim 9, wherein displaying the listof user identifiers includes displaying a count for each correspondinguser identifier in the list of user identifiers, and wherein the countfor each corresponding user identifier indicates a number of times auser represented by the corresponding user identifier has been solicitedto answer the question.
 16. The computer server of claim 9, thenon-transitory computer-readable medium further including instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or moreprocessors to perform operations including: excluding a particular useridentifier from the list of user identifiers when a database of thequestion-and-answer service flags the particular user identifier ashaving passed on answering the question.
 17. A computer-program producttangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium,including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors ofa computer server hosting a question-and-answer service, cause the oneor more processors to: receive a question associated with a requestinguser, wherein the question is received using a graphical interface ofthe question-and-answer service; automatically generate a list of useridentifiers from a set of user identifiers, wherein a user identifier isincluded in the list of user identifiers based on a predefinedrelationship with the requesting user, and wherein the user identifierson the list of user identifiers represent a corresponding plurality ofusers; generate ranks for the user identifiers on the list of useridentifiers based on a ranking algorithm, wherein a rank indicates alikelihood that a user identified by a user identifier will provide ananswer to the question; display the list of user identifiers in thegraphical interface in an order that is based on the ranks of the useridentifiers on the list of user identifiers; and receive inputindicating a selection of a first user identifier from the list of useridentifiers, the first user identifier identifying a first user; anddisplay an answer from the first user along with a number of votes,wherein the number of votes is equal to a quantity of users thatrequested the first user to answer the question.
 18. Thecomputer-program product of claim 17, wherein a rank associated with thefirst user identifier is increased when a database of thequestion-and-answer service indicates a relationship between aparticular user identifier of the requesting user and the first useridentifier.
 19. The computer-program product of claim 17, wherein a rankassociated with the first user identifier is based on historical datastored in a database of the question-and-answer service, wherein thehistorical data includes information related to answers to questions.20. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the historicaldata further includes information about the first user identifier thatincludes a status of the first user identifier within thequestion-and-answer service.
 21. The computer-program product of claim19, wherein the historical data further includes information about thefirst user identifier that includes topics followed by the first useridentifier.
 22. The computer-program product of claim 17, wherein a rankassociated with the first user identifier is increased when the firstuser identifier is currently online.
 23. The computer-program product ofclaim 17, wherein displaying the list of user identifiers includesdisplaying a count for each corresponding user identifier in the list ofuser identifiers, and wherein the count for each corresponding useridentifier indicates a number of times a user represented by thecorresponding user identifier has been solicited to answer the question.24. The computer-program product of claim 17, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the one or more processors to: exclude a particular useridentifier from the list of user identifiers when a database of thequestion-and-answer service flags the particular user identifier ashaving passed on answering the question.